The present invention relates to oil drain structure and more particularly to improved oil drain structure for use by do-it-yourself home automobile servicers although the structure of the invention could be used in a commercial garage.
In the past there have been problems of the usual sort in attempting to change oil in a home garage not the least of which involved structure that would easily and conveniently fit underneath the automobile in the drain pan area when there is no lift for the automobile. Even where there is some type of lift available problems existed and often resulted in spillage of the used oil on the garage floor.
In addition to the problem of cleaning up the spilled used oil was the problem of removal of the stain from porous garage floors such as unsealed concrete and the like. On blacktop the oil often dissolved the surface coating leaving holes in the surface.
Subsequently came the problems associated with the matter of disposing of the used oil in an environmentally sound manner. It was no longer legally acceptable for used or so called drain oil to simply be scattered on the ground and absorbed into the soil so means had to be devised not only to collect the drain oil without spilling it but to collect it in such a fashion that it could be easily stored in containers for appropriate disposition. With the often limited amount of space beneath a vehicle in a home garage which has no substantial lifting apparatus for the vehicle the commercial types of collecting apparatus was not usable in addition to being too costly for the ordinary home servicer.